This is Home
by MiDnIgHtHoUr77
Summary: Kurt 'saves' a new mutant, and some complications arise. Soooo yea, rated T 'cause I'm not sure how this will end up. Enjoy
1. A rescue of a sort

**I own absolutely positively nothing. So yea, hope you enjoy. :)**

She was running (much to her distaste) scared. They outnumbered here, outclassed her, and well... were frighteningly imposing. She couldn't fight them, and didn't really want to, so she ran. Well, at least she had _been_ running. Until she had ran into a certain blue, fuzzy elf in a very dark, slightly ominous, and very badly lit alleyway.

"Hello. Vhy are you running?" She responded by pointing behind her where her chasers appeared quickly. He was taller than her, and she was skinnier than him so behind him she went. He also half pushed her behind him.

"Give us the girl and nobody gets hurt." There were about five grown, burly, muscley men massed now in the only entrance and exit. The man who appeared to be the leader gripped a metal baseball bat in one hand and gently smacked his other hand with it, trying to be threatening.

"Does _she_ get hurt?" Was Kurt's only response. The girl's eyes widened as she felt his tail flick back and forth. The man seemed taken aback.

"Tha.. That is none of your concern. Just give me the girl! She is mine. I own her." He grinned menacingly.

"People are no longer owned here." Kurt's eyes narrowed. "Verlassen!"

"And who's going to make me?" She knew this strange man could not hope to fight them, and come out unhurt. She had to make them leave. Nobody was going to fight her battles for her. Taking a deep breath she stepped out in front of the blue man.

"Vat are you doing?" She called upon all her ferocity and anger. She felt herself change, her teeth lengthening and sharpening. She fell onto her hands which grew into paws, pure white fur covered her new tail. Her eyes were the only thing that remained the same. Still green and gold which didn't look quite as strange and frightening on a white tiger as they did on the girl. All jaws of those who watched were soon on the dirty alley floor. The normal thing a tiger would do was roar, but then again this was by no means a normal tiger. All she had to do was pull her lips back over her gleaming, sharp, white teeth with the fur on the back of her neck raised. The men needed no further prompting. They were gone before you could X-Men. Slowly she turned to the blue man, and looked up at him. She expected to see revulsion and fear, but instead she was met with kindness, a fair amount of surprise, and happiness. With confusion she cocked her head.

"Do you have a home?" Still a tigeress she shook her massive head.

"Vould you like von?" Reluctently she nodded. Her grinned at her to reveal his own gleaming, sharp, white fangs.

"Come on then." With that he walked out of the alley. She stayed frozen to the spot.

"Vell? Are you coming?" Quickly she bounded after him.

oOo

When they had entered the mansion the pair attracted some strange looks. They weren't really looking at Kurt whom they were used to, but more at the giant white tiger who was plodding along next to him. She still hadn't changed back. She hadn't felt the need to. Why change back to a human when there wasn't really a reason to? She was just as happy as a giant cat as she was a human. Maybe even more so as the cat. At least when she was a cat people avoided her more. He stopped in the first room they came to and crouched down to be eye level with her.

"Stay here. I vill come back in a little vhile." He straightened and looked around for something or someone. Apparntly he found it because his eyes lit up, and he straightened himself up as he called over a girl with shoulder length brown hair and blue eyes. "This is Keety. Keety, vill you entertain our new... uh... recruit?"

"Like, sure Kurt." She smiled at him the same way he smiled at her as he left. The unspoken language was what she was fluent in.

"So are you like normally a giant white tiger or is that just circumstantial?" In response she changed back to a girl. Her eyes bore unblinkingly up at the older girl.

"Cool, so obviously you're a mutant. What's your name?"

She made motions as if she was writing.

"Don't you like talk?"

_Head shake_.

"Like why not?"

_Blink._

"What do you..." She was cut off by Kurt who once again looked like a human.

"Come on. The Professor vants to see you."

_Head nod._ The smile never left his face as he led her to his teacher.

After a short speech from Xavier about the institute, and everything they offered he only had one question for her.

"Do you wish to stay here?" She looked up at Kurt who nodded with a grin. He was the only person she really knew. He had tried to rescue her, which was annoying but nice. She didn't really have any other home anymore, so she looked back and nodded. The Professor smiled, and called through the door. "You can come in now Kitty." She phased through the door with a slight blush on her face.

"Yes Professor?"

"Would it be alright if little... uh... What is your name dear?"

She tried sign language, but everyone looked confused. She pantomimed writing again. The Professor, slightly confused, handed her a sheet of paper and a pen. Quickly she wrote down Catalina.

"Well, would if be alright if little Catalina here roomed with you and Rogue for the night? It's a bit late to make other arrangements."

"Totally Professor! C'mon Catalina, you can sleep in my bed." Kitty reached forward and grabbed the other girl's hand. Catalina looked once more at Kurt to be sure, but he didn't really see. He was too busy watching the other girl who was pointedly trying not to look at him too much. Any thoughts she might be having about the two were interrupted when suddenly she found herself through the door.

"She seems to like you Kurt." Xavier said when the two girls had left.

"Vell, I did save her from some thugs. Although I don't zink she really needed saving."

"Hmmm, well go get some sleep Kurt. You'll have to show her around tomorrow. You seem to be the only one she trusts, or at least. The closest one to being one she trusts."

~Meanwhile in Kitty and Rogue's room~

"She's stayin with us?" Rogue replied after she had been explained the situation in her southern drawl.

"Well, for like the night. The Professor needed somewhere for her to sleep."

"Alright, just don't touch me, k? That's mah mutantany goodness. Sucking the life out of everyone I touch." So _you_ won't touch me she thought. She directed the last bit at Catalina.

"Catalina.. Can I call you Cat 'cuz your name is like really long?"

_Blink._

"Where do you wanna sleep?" In response she changed into a small black cat, jumped onto Rogue's bed, and curled up by her feet. Rogue looked at the new weight on her bed, and the new warmth by her feet. The cat blinked at her, then twitched her tail, put her head down again, and closed her eyes. Kitty just laughed.

"Let's follow our little Cat's example." They were both asleep in a matter of minutes.

**Alright, so second try at my second fanfic. What do you think? Better or worse than before? Please review, no negativity without giving me something to improve upon please oh please. If you read the other chapters and are like "Why are they gone?" Don't worry, they needed to be fixed so Santa took them up to his workshop, and is working very hard to make them all shiny and new again. :) They'll be back as soon as they're done.**


	2. Don't laugh at cats

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Sadly not even this laptop.**

"So, zat's everything." Kurt concluded her tour. She looked up at him blankly. "Umm, how old are you anyvays?"

She put up both of her hands with all the fingers extended

"Ten?"

Annoyed she then put up four more fingers.

"Oh, Bobby's 14 too!" She cocked her head.

"Let me go find him, and I'll introduce you!" The blue elf poofed away in a cloud of smoke, and a few minutes later he returned with a smiling boy with brown hair and dark, chocolate brown eyes.

"Hi, I'm Bobby!" He stretched his hand out to her. She looked at it.

"You shake it." She grabbed his fingers and 'gracefully' jerked it side to side. He laughed.

"No, like this. Here can I have your hand?" She glared at him momentarily, but the smile never faded from the boy's face. Reluctantly she stretched her small hand out to him. Bobby grabbed her hand and shook it violently. She quickly took her hand back, and mildly glared at the boy.

"What? Haven't you ever..." He trailed off at the glare that had turned annoyed on the girl's face.

"So, what's your name?"

_Blink._

"Cat. I'm just gonna let you two get to know each other better zen." With that Kurt poofed leaving her alone with the boy and gaining himself a Cat glare.

"So, Cat?"

_Blink._

"I'm Bobby."

_Double blink._

"Ok, so why don't you talk?" The smile was still real, but she could see the tension in his shoulders. The uncertainty in his voice. He wasn't used to people in the X Mansion acting so hostile towards him.

_Shrug._

"That's cool. Everybody says I talk enough for two people so I think this'll work out just fine."

_Blink._

"Do you ever smile?"

_Head shake. _Now, he was incredulous. It seemed as though _he_ never stopped smiling.

"Hmm, can I try to make you smile then?"

_Blink._

"I'll take that as a yes!" He moved as if to poke her in the stomach, but she backed away quickly and glared.

"Alright, so no tickling." He held his hands up and backed away. "Do you wanna go outside? We have some awesome trees." Her eyes lit up and she nodded quickly.

"So what's your thing?" He asked as he led the way to outside.

_Head tilt. _They were on the lawn, and now she led the way to the biggest tree she could find.

"You know, power? Mutation?" She flicked through a few different cats. A tiger, jaguar, bobcat, and lion were some of the few cats she chose before landing on her form of choice. Human included. A little black cat.

"Cool! Do you only do cats?"

_Blink._

"I'll take that as a yes." She scaled the tree, and settled on a branch a little above Bobby's eye level. Her tail hanging below her, twitching. He poked it. She flattened her ears. "Sorry, had to." He held his hand up again.

"Do you wanna see what I can do?"

_Tail twitch._ He was bouncing on his feet now. Excited. He hoped to impress her. Mentally she scoffed and folded her fronts paws underneath her. It began at the top of his head, and quickly spread down to his feet. Bobby was now covered in ice. Even his eyes. She was not prepared for this. Nor was she prepared for him throwing a snowball at her. She yowled and fell out of the tree. Naturally, she landed on her feet with her fur puffed up. He laughed at her. She hated being laughed at. Her anger quickly grew, and soon got the better of her. There was no longer a small, docile cat standing at the base of the tree, but a rather large, menacing, teeth baring, black jaguar. A hint of fear entered his eyes, and he subconsciously leaned away from the angry cat.

"So you want to tear me apart now?"

_Ear flatten._

"Well, you'll have to catch me first!" He laughed and began to ice a speedy retreat. She growled and obligingly chased after him.

"It seems as though our new student has some anger problems." Xavier spoke to Wolverine over his shoulder while looking out his window at the giant cat chasing after Bobby.

"Yea, her mutation could be good for the team, and she would definatley be a good person to have on a stealth mission with the whole no talking, but the anger issues would not be good. Especially when Bobby seems to know just how to push her buttons." Logan replied while leaning on Xavier's desk with his hands shoved in his jean pockets.

"Yes. You'll also have to find out if she can fight or not." He turned his wheel chair around to face his friend.

"Chuck, you know I'm not always the best with the students. Besides, do you really want to put my temper and her's in the same room? That's a ticking time bomb Chuck!"

"And she's not the best with other people."

"So you think I'll be any better than the Icecube?" He gestured out the window where she was still chasing Bobby.

"I'm not sure, but at least she can't really hurt you if she catches you."

"What makes you think the Ghost will catch me?" He cockily replied.

"Ghost?"

"Well she's quiet, and the only colors her animals are are black and white. She just seems like a ghost to me. You don't really notice her until the attention is drawn to her, and the attention drawing was most definately not done by her."

"Hmmm, yes. Well, at any rate you'll have a training session with her tomorrow to see how good she is."

"I hope you know what you're doing Chuck."

"Alright, alright! You win!" She had caught him, but when she did she had realized she wasn't really all that mad at him so she just pinned him and glared at him until he gave up. She stepped off him with her head held high and eyes closed, proud of her 'hunt'. He grinned mischeviously and leapt at her, trying to take her by surprise and pin her back. The wrestled around for a bit, but in the end they ended up exactly as they had been a few minutes ago. Her eyes seemed to say pinned ya again.

"Fine, you win. Again." She leapt off him, changed back into a human, and gave him a rare Cat smile. He looked at her, and returned the smile after a moment of astonishment. She was actually... pretty when she wasn't glaring and scowling. Her long black hair was streaked through with really white strands, her eyes were an unnerving green mixed with a gold, and her canine teeth seemed longer and sharper than normal. Almost fangs. Freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, and she wore ripped and faded blue jeans and a loose black shirt that went over one shoulder with a grey tank top beneath it.

"Bobby! Cat! Do you want food or not?" Rogue yelled at them from the house. As quick as it had come her smile was gone, and she got up to go to the house. He noticed as she went gracefully towards the house that her black shirt was also ripped, and she didn't wear shoes.

**sooooo.. what did you think? All bright and shiny and new? R&R please**


	3. Questions

**Disclaimer: As always. I own absolutely nothing! So not sueing me would be greatly appreciated.**

"You're here to see if you can fight alright?"

She was in the Danger Room for the first time with Logan. They had showed her the uniform, but she refused to wear it. She hadn't even eaten breakfast. Insisting, by climbing a tree and not moving until Logan came and got her, instead that they go straight to training when she was told that Logan would have to test her fighting ability.

"Just fight alright? There aren't really any guidelines, or objectives. We just fight until I say stop alright?" She studied him. He certainly wasn't small, and looked strong. She smirked a little at her mental comment: 'you're big, fought bigger' Of course she hadn't actually, but she had learned the hard way not to let your opponent know how many people you've fought and how good they were. When you were 5' 5" and a girl people tend to underestimate you.

"If I hurt you just umm..." He scratched the back of the his head, uncertain. He would've said just tell me, but since she didn't speak... She rolled her eyes, and solved his problem for him. She became a white lioness and roared.

"Ok, if you get hurt just roar." She watched him take his fighting stance. Loose, fists, and feet shoulder width apart she could tell he had fought quite a lot of people. He knew, too tense and you pull a muscle. You pull a muscle you're done for. Too loose and you don't move fast enough, with the same results. She didn't know how he fought and he didn't know how she fought. Both tested the waters with nothing fancy. Just some pulled punches from Wolverine, a few not so pulled punches from Cat. After a few minutes she stopped testing the waters and dived right in, and soon found him to be a superior fighter. What she lacked in strength she made up for in speed and agility, but he was just as fast as her and much stronger. He didn't even appear to be trying. Every movement smooth and precise. No anger to cloud his judgement, but her frustration quickly grew. She wasn't that bad! She could beat some old man. She twirled around him and kicked him in the butt, knocking him over. When he turned around he was met with her sticking her tongue out at him. Taunting him. This, of course, irked him. A few more minutes of taunting and he was mad. She could tell, his shoulders hunched slightly, and his muscles were definitely tenser than they were before. His claws came out. Plus there was a funny little vein sticking out of his neck.

"Look, kid. I don't really want to stop now, but I have to warn you. Now you've made me mad." He all but growled. She stuck her tongue out at him in response. This time he did growl.

Bobby was waiting outside the Danger Room when Cat and Wolverine came out. She walked out as a small black cat with a slight limp, and some blood on her back. Logan's hair was a little messed up.

"Soo, how'd it go?" She stretched herself up his leg, and he eyes seemed to say pick me up. He laughed a little at the little cat and obligingly picked her up. She settled comfortably in his arms.

"Take her to the infirmary Icecube." This was met with a small growl.

"Oh shut it. You're bleeding and limping. You have to go."

"Yea Cat, you could be really hurt." _Oh please, if I was really hurt I'd be yowling._ Was what she thought as she glared, but let them take her to a strange new room.

"Oh Bobby, I'm not a vet! I... nevermind." She had leapt out of Bobby's arms and changed mid-leap into a human. A few glares, a bandage, and an ice pack later found Cat and Bobby sitting outside by their tree. It was her second day, but she already thought of the tree as hers.

"So, I've got a few questions for you." She nodded a little as if to say go on. The morning sun was making her drowsy.

"Why don't you wear shoes?" She opened her eyes at this, trying to think of how to get it across to him. She pointed to his left foot.

"What?" Annoyed she pointed at it again with a bit more emphasis, hoping he would get it.

"Why are you pointing at _my_ shoes?" Sighing, and annoyed, she began to untie his shoe.

"Oh, you want to see it." He helped her untie the rest of it, and get it off his foot. Her eyes smiled a bit at the sight of his sock. There was a hole where his big toe poked through. Without a smile, but without a scowl she poked his toe. He laughed and wriggled it at her. This earned him a split second, half smile. She put the shoe on her foot. It was too big, but for her purposes it didn't matter. She changed quickly into a tiger and back again. She wasn't supposed to change at all much to her irritation. She handed him back his shoe, or really what was left of it. Her paw had exploded it open like a balloon. Bobby looked at it then back at his sock.

"Guess I need new shoes. Why don't your clothes do that then?" She shrugged and pointed to the holes and tears.

"So it sort of does it with your clothes, but not so much." She nodded an inch, resumed her spot leaning against the tree, and closed her eyes again. She was beginning to not mind his presence as long as he didn't touch her unless she gave him permission to. Why people touched that much at all was beyond her. She could tell he was relaxing around her too. His muscles were more relaxed, his eyes weren't wary at all anymore, and his voice was softer too. Like he was adopting her silence the only way he could. Just be being quieter.

"So, next question. Kurt told me about how you two met. If you could have changed anytime you wanted why didn't you do so before you ran into Kurt?" She thought about her answer to the question first and then how to answer. She wanted to say 'because people were watching, and I know people don't generally like it when you change into a giant white tiger.' But how do you say that when you can't actually say anything? She moved from her spot again to try to explain, but all she could do was gesture around at the other students playing around outside.

"What?" She pointed to individual people, then to herself, made fake whiskers on her face, pointed back at them, and then made a scared face.

"Oh, you didn't want other people to see did you? So you were leading them to an alley?" She was thankful for the excuse. She hadn't wanted to admit it to herself earlier, but she had been scared by the men and hadn't even remembered she could have just turned a corner, became a cat, and have gone on her merry way. It wasn't until someone else tried to fight for her did she remember how dangerous she could actually be.

"Last question. Why don't you talk? I mean, are you not able to, or do you just not want to?" It was strange for her to have to express her thoughts and feelings to other people. She was used to being alone, and she thought she preferred it that way. She moved her lips as if she was talking, trying to explain to him how she felt about talking.

"So you aren't able to talk?" She shook her head.

"So you can talk you just don't want to?" She nodded, and leaned back again. He sat and thought for a moment trying to think of why someone wouldn't want to talk. He couldn't get it. How could you not want to talk? Talking was so much easier, and way more fun than silence. He waited a few minutes before speaking again.

"Why don't you talk?" He watched her closely. Waiting for a small shrug, or something, but nothing came. He was confused and hurt a little. She had never ignored him before, and he didn't like being ignored.

"Cat?" He was about to poke her when he realized. She was asleep. Her head was falling to the side, and her chest was rising and falling steadily but slowly. He smiled a little at her. She really was a cat. Lulled to sleep by the sun.

**Whatchu think? R&R**


	4. Morning nap

**Disclaimer: I have never nor will I likely ever own the X Men or any of the songs I use.**

"So how long did it take her to fall asleep?" Rogue had come upon the sleeping girl and the boy deep in thought after around ten minutes of napping for Cat and thinking for Bobby.

"A minute. Maybe less. Why do you think someone would just not want to talk? I mean, there must be a reason right?"

"I don't know Bobby. I don't know the little Cat very well so I couldn't tell ya. Why are you just sitting here anyways?"

"It would be mean if I just left." The Rogue chuckled a little at this then slid down on the tree next to Cat.

"I suppose it would." There didn't seem to be much more to say so Bobby resumed thinking about the puzzle that was Cat's voice and Rogue pulled out a book. The next person to stumble upon the trio was Kurt. Rogue had been there for around fifteen minutes.

"Vhat are you all doing?"

"Shhh. Cat's sleeping, I'm thinking, and Rogue's reading." Bobby replied in a whisper.

"You just whispered." Kurt stated in surprise.

"Well, I don't want to wake her up, so leave or be quiet. Besides I was getting close." Bobby continued in a whisper.

"Getting close? Close to what?" The elf sat down in front of the Iceman obligingly talking in a whisper.

"Figuring out why Cat doesn't talk. She 'said' that she doesn't like to, but there must be more to it than just that. I mean, somebody doesn't just randomly decide they don't like talking do they?"

"I don't know Bobby." The younger boy didn't reply, but just nodded and resumed thinking. Kurt was now puzzling over the matter. It hadn't really occurred to him to wonder why the little Cat didn't talk. He had just accepted it. Now though, he really thought about it. Thought about why somebody wouldn't talk. After a few moments over thinking he realized he couldn't think of a single reason why somebody would take such a drastic, life-changing pledge. Maybe Bobby had misinterpreted. Maybe she couldn't speak. Maybe..

"Kurt? Rogue? Bobby? Cat? What are you like all doing here?" Another half an hour had passed, and Kitty had gone in search of her friends.

"Thinking." The boys replied simultaneously in a whisper. "Now be quiet." They continued when she had no response, but not unkindly.

"Rogue, what are they like thinking about?"

"Why Cat doesn't talk. To be completely honest I haven't been able to focus on my book for a little bit and have been thinking about it as well." She drawled in her southern twang.

"Ok, why do I have to be quiet?" She sat down in front of Rogue adopting the group's seldom whispered sentences.

"Cat's sleeping, and I think it's easier to think when nobody's talking at you."

"Oh." Now Kitty's mind tried to come up with an answer to the question. She talked _a lot_. How somebody could even not talk was beyond her. There was just so much to do and say how could you keep yourself from saying all there was? Sure, a picture is worth a thousand words and actions speak louder than words, but surely words were good for something or people wouldn't talk near as much as they did.

In the fifteen minutes that followed the pair that became a trio, a quartet, and then a quintet had gained three other students. They were all quietly sitting around 'Cat's' tree thinking about one thing or another. Some were thinking about school, one about sports, Rogue had returned to her reading, Cat was still sleeping, and, of course, Bobby and Kurt were thinking about Cat's voice or lack thereof. Even the students within a ten feet radius of the tree were calm, quiet, and rather mellow. This had attracted the attention of Storm, Logan, and Professor X.

"I can't believe it. They're all quiet." Storm said in disbelief looking out the window.

"It's a little weird. Nice, but weird." Logan added.

"It's curious. Their minds are calm as well. The general mood around the mansion is calmer as well. Who knew that having a cat would have such a calming effect on all of the students?" All three mutants stood in silence having no other thoughts on the matter.

Outside at the tree Cat woke up. Nobody woke her up her body had just decided she was hungry. Her eyes widened when she saw everybody around her sitting silently, apparently all lost in thought. She looked around her. Taking in all that had joined her and Bobby. Nobody appeared to notice. She took this moment to herself, leaning back against the tree and closing her eyes. With a sigh she allowed herself a smile. The breeze kissed her cheeks and nose softly, caressing her face, playing with her hair. Birds sang somewhere, a squirrel buried his nuts, and a creek laughed its way over rocks. The animal in her had its advantages and its disadvantages. They were often one in the same. Hyper senses were one that fell in this category. Right now it was nice. She could hear everything around her and there wasn't any voices to interfere with the symphony of nature. She could smell everyone around her. Bobby, though, was the easiest. She had spent the most time around him, and she liked the way the boy smelled. Something about it was just.. she caught herself. She would not let herself form attachments with these people. She didn't know how long she would be staying here before she had to move on. Mmmmm, was that bread? Oh, that smelled delicious. Her eyes snapped open with a twitch of the nose. She turned to Bobby and poked him.

"Oh, you're up." He whispered. This, of course, alerted everybody else. She was met with smiles all around. Turning back to Bobby she rubbed her stomach.

"You must be hungry." Kurt said. "You vouldn't have breakfast this morning." She snorted as if to say _I know. I was there._

"Come on. I know this like great place for lunch in town." Kitty added. "We'll get Scott and Jean and head in. You in?"

"Of course!" Kurt replied a little too enthusiastically.

"What do you say Cat?" Bobby turned to his friend. She only nodded an inch in response. Nobody else seemed to catch it, but Bobby. He turned to Kitty. "We're in."

"Rogue?" The other students that joined them for the last few minutes had left leaving the group of friends alone by the tree.

"Nah, I really want to finish this book. Y'all have fun." She got up and set off in search of a place to peacefully read her book.

"Alright, let's go!" Soon Kitty had convinced Scott to take them with some help from Jean, and they were on their way. Kitty, Kurt, Cat, and Bobby were all smushed into the back seat of Scott's backseat. Interestingly enough, to Cat, she didn't mind the contact so much. Wearing a pair of Bobby's too big shoes, pressed close between Kurt's fur and the owner of her new shoes she found the close quarters were actually.. comforting to her. Like being surrounded by a big warm blanket of safety. The ride to the restaurant passed all too quickly for Cat, and much to soon her blanket of safety was gone. She didn't really have much of any other choice but to follow them into the brightly colored building known as Pizza Palace in her ripped shirt, ripped jeans, and too big shoes.

**As always... tell me what you thought about it. R&R :)**


	5. Pizza for lunch

**As always I own positively absolutely nothing. -sigh-**

_Ding_. A little bell sounded overhead. Immediately she regretted coming. This place was filled, absolutely no tables left to sit down at, with people. Cat did not particularly like people, so this proved to be sort of a problem for her. As they entered a few people glanced up to see who it was, seeing Scott and Jean looked back down, then quickly looked back up again to see the new girl with them. Cat, being Cat, was walking more on the balls of her feet resulting in more of a gliding sort of float instead of a walk. Her hair was, more or less, half pitch black and half snow white. She was willowy, but not exactly tall. All of this together made people look at her. She could feel the eyes trained on her. Following her movements closely, trying to asses this new girl. This was one of the disadvantages/advantages that was bad for her at the moment. Being a cat she was a bit of an empath. She could feel the emotions of the people around her easily, subconsciously, unwanted. Right now, she could feel the uncertainty and the hostility rolling off of the patrons of the pizzeria. It felt to her like darkness, a darkness that wanted to hurt her, was slowly creeping in around her. Like smoke, it snaked its way off of the ordinary humans and slithered its way up around her. If she had had a tail it would have been twitching… a lot. She was about to turn around and walk out without even having taken two steps in when Bobby seemed to notice she wasn't keeping pace with him. He turned around and took the five steps back to her. After all, the place wasn't that big.

"Cat? What's wrong?" Her gold green eyes flicked around to all the people sitting in the booths, at the tables, and just standing around. "The people?" He followed her eyes. "You don't like this many people do you?" Realization dawned on him. He relaxed a bit. This was something he could fix. He laughed to himself a little. He kept forgetting that she was more cat than human. "Alright, I have an idea, but you have to trust me. Ok?" He was met with an almost imperceptible nod. "Good, what you're gonna do is close your eyes." She smirked at him. "Close your eyes and I'll put my arm around you to keep you from running into anything. We can eat on the roof where almost nobody is." She studied her new friend. Was he serious? Did he expect her to just trust him with that much? Apparently he did. She thought for a moment, considering her options, trying to ignore the growing curiosity replacing the hostility rolling off of the people. Well, what did she have to lose? Obliging, she closed her eyes and waited. Bobby blinked. _Wow, I can't believe that that actually worked._ He recovered from his surprise quickly though and put his arm around her shoulders. On his face he wore a big goofy grin.

"Vhere are Bobby and..? Seriously?" Kurt looked behind him to find Bobby wearing his goofy grin with his arm around Cat.

"What? Oh…" Kitty quickly followed suit, and before long she was also grinning. The little prankster looked so happy.

"Hey, Keety, let's count shoulders. Von, Two, Three, Four." The elf said with a grin touching his left shoulder with his right hand, then his right shoulder, next to be poked was Kitty's left shoulder, and finally her right one putting Kurt's arm around her shoulders.

"Just because you're my boyfriend Fuzzy, doesn't mean you get to use cheesy lines on me." She said with a completely straight face.

"Oh, sorry Keety." He began to remove his arm from her shoulders.

"I didn't say move your arm." She grinned teasing her fellow mutant. "I mean, it's already like there. No sense in moving it." She chuckled a little and snuggled into her boyfriend.

"Oh, ha-ha Keety. Very funny." He laughed at her, tightening his grip on her. Soon Bobby appeared with a 'blind' Cat on his arm.

"Vhy are your eyes closed little Cat?" His question was directed at her, but it was Bobby who answered.

"What cat do you know that likes crowds?" Bobby explained through his smile.

"Oh." Kurt and Kitty responded.

"Hey, what kind of pizza do you guys…. want." Scott turned around from the menu to look at his friends all either with their arm around a girl or on the arm of a guy.

"Meat lovers!" Kurt and Kitty said excitedly.

"Sausage." Bobby laughed out.

"Bobby, now why are you laughing?" Jean turned around to look at the younger boy than at Scott's face which was quite laughable.

"Hey, Cat you have pizza before?" She cocked her head a little as if to ask what exactly pizza was. "Open your eyes for a sec and look." He instructed her lightly. She blinked at the bright light. Her eyes quickly contracting then shut her eyes again once she saw the pictures on the menu board. She shook her head with a slight frown. "Hmm, well do you like meat?" It occurred to him that he hadn't seen her eat yet even though she had been there for two days now. He hadn't seen her at breakfast, lunch, or dinner her first day. Even though they had been called in together for dinner when he had got inside she had disappeared to somewhere. She raised her eyebrows at him, opened her mouth, and pointed at her quite sharp canine teeth. "I'll take that as a yes."

"So we'll get meat lovers then?" Scott asked the group. Nobody had any disagreements. Fifteen minutes later found them sitting at a table on the roof of the pizzeria, and just as Bobby had predicted there was nobody up there.

"Cat, slow down! Pizza is not going to disappear off the face of the Earth before you finish the slice!" It had taken taken quite a bit of convincing to get Cat to eat the pizza, and now that she was eating it she seemed to love it. Naturally, she wolfed it down as if it was the last piece of pizza on the planet. Bobby reached for what was left of the slice she was holding to try to slow her down, but he got a hiss in response. The others all laughed at him.

"That's what you get when you try to get in between a cat and her food!" Jean giggled at Bobby. Cat quirked the corners of her mouth up slightly. Almost a smile, as if to let them know that she was laughing with them, but not quite a smile true to the Cat they knew and… well.. knew.

"What's a gorgeous girl like you doing hanging out with these lameos?" A boy had come up behind Cat. He had shaggy brown hair and normal brown eyes. She could almost see the confidence drifting off of him. She looked up at his eyes and held his gaze. After about two seconds under her scrutiny he broke the eye contact but still was looking at her. She stared back at him, not quite glaring. "Ah, playing hard to get. I get it. A pretty girl like you has got to have standards am I right?" Now, she was glaring.

"I'm sorry, but like who are you and why are you such a sleazebag?" Kitty glared at him as well.

"I am Jason, and I don't believe I was talking to you ugly." Kitty looked wounded, Jean glared, Scott looked as intimidating as ever with his sunglasses on, Bobby's jaw was on the floor, and a fury like no other invaded Kurt. Cat being Cat felt his anger and let it consume her as well. She didn't know how long she was going to be friends with these people or how long she was going to stay, but she was friends with them now and nobody, _**nobody**_ insulted her friends. Swiftly she got to her feet in her too big shoes. Those gave her strength as well. "So the pretty girl wants to come with a real man and leave these losers behind." He sounded as if this was absolutely no surprise and she would have been crazy not to. "You choose well." Without thinking she drew her fist back and punched him in the nose. As her fist connected with his face she felt a satisfying crunch. "Ow! Bitch!" He grabbed his bleeding nose. She smiled evilly. Grabbing one of his hands she twisted it behind his back and pulled on it hard. Close to popping his shoulder out.

"Don't ever come near me again. I pity you." She hissed into his ear, and then let him go kicking him on the butt as she did so that he nearly fell onto the ground. With another hiss she was satisfied. Swirling around she plopped back down in her seat and continued to eat her pizza as she had a moment before as if nothing had happened. All jaws were on the floor, set to catch flies. She looked up at them with a look in her eye as if to ask _What? You all would have done it if you were closer._ She continued munching on her pizza.

**Soo? Whatchu think? R&R**


	6. Shopping

**As always I do not own anything.**

"Cat did you seriously just beat that guy up?" Jean gasped at her. She smirked. _Oh, please. That was not beat up. If I had beat him up he would be crying._

"Just because he called me ugly?" Kitty said in amazement. She would have expected that from Kurt, he had looked close to beating the guy up himself, but not from a girl smaller than her that she barely knew. Cat shrugged.

"Vell, zanks Cat. You save me za trouble of doing it myself." Cat just shrugged again. She would do it again if it happened again. And again. And again. And again. It wasn't like it was that much of a big deal. She had wanted him gone just as much as anybody else. She was a little confused though. She had expected a little more astonishment about her talking instead of all this fuss about her beating some guy up unless.. they hadn't heard her. She smiled a bit to herself as she finished the rest of her pizza slice thereby finishing the whole pizza.

"So I guess we should go back to the Institute." Scott began to get up from the table.

"Nope, we have to take Cat shopping. She can't always wear Bobby's shoes and she needs more clothes." Jean enthusiasticly agreed with the younger brunette. The boys all groaned. The four words every male dreaded to hear 'we are going shopping'. Every guy had been through it at least once or twice. Hours on end sqealing over cute clothes, endless questions about 'Do you like this?' 'Does this look ok?' What about this one?' Cat didn't really know what to think. The girls seemed excited and happy, bouncing on their toes as they walked down the stairs much quicker than the boys, a certain glint in their eye as they imagined all the cute clothes they could make Cat try on, and a smile thinking of all the shoes. The boys on the other hand were trudging through the pizzeria, shuffling their feet trying to slow down the trip as much as they could, hunched shoulders depicting their dread, and heads down admitting defeat.

"Do we really have to go shopping?" Bobby, who's normal smile was gone, was in the back of the pack, trudging the most.

"Yes!" The pair bounced into the car. Scott reluctantly slide into the driver's seat, Jean hopped into the passenger side, and the other four smushed themselves into the back. "To the mall!"

Two hours, five stores, and she didn't even know how many outfits later she understood the boys' trudging. This was one of the more boring experiences she had ever had in her life. It was also one of the more interesting and slightly fun times of her life. Every outfit made her feel like a whole different person. Sometimes skater, goth, preppy, bubblegum pink, down to earth, and they even got her into a dress. It was white to match her hair and fitted to her top, but flowed away from her body after her hips. Not straying to far from her legs, but still flowing. She tugged on it nervously. It only extended to her knees.

"Come on, Cat. I know you're like done changing. Come out!" Kitty complained from the other side of the door to the changing room. Quietly she floated out in her usual manner. A few steps later she was out into the little room that seemed to have been set up for showing people clothes that had been tried on. When she was in full view all jaws hit the floor. She stood there waiting for someone to say something.

"Cat. You look like a girl." Jean was the first to recover from the sight of the little Cat. This earned her a glare. "No, I mean that before you looked like a girl obviously but now you look like a gorgeous, confident girl. Not a pretty but somewhat boyish girl." At this Cat snorted a little taking the somewhat insulting compliment.

"Seriously though Cat. You look like amazing! We have to get it." None of the boys had said anything yet and now the eyes of the girls fell to them.

"Ah, yea -cough- great." Bobby spoke through a blush.

"You look pretty." Kurt added.

"Yea," a nod came from Scott in agreement. A small smile came from Cat. She wasn't used to this kind of attention.

"Oh my god! Cat!" All five mutants turned around to see a rather small blonde streaking toward them through the store. Cat's face paled. "Cat! I can't believe it's you! Rhonda said you ran away without any sort of note or anything." The little blonde wrapped her arms around Cat and she bristled. The gathered X-Men's jaws hit the floor for the third time that day. "What? Don't you have anything to say to your best friend?"

_Best friend?_ Was the single thought running through the other's minds. Soon after that was _say? She doesn't say anything._ Cat let out a breath as she was released from the other girl's grip and rapidly began signing things with her hands.

"Don't tell Rhonda. That's it? That's all I get?" There was some more rapid signing. "Ok, so you're good, have a place to stay, and food to eat? That's seriously all I get after two years?"

Cat only nodded a fraction of an inch and turned and fled to the dressing room.

**Dramatic twist no? Sorry it's so short. R&R as always :)**


	7. A series of unfortunate events

**Never owned it in the first place. This don't make it so.**

"So you like knew her before she knew she was a mutant?" It was around half an hour later, and a quick search had found that Cat had changed back into her normal clothes, including Bobby's shoes, and ran away. The mutants were now questioning the girl, who had said her name was Scarlett, about Cat.

"Yes, she was always like that. Always had the personality of a cat which is why we loved her name all the more when we found out. She used to talk."

"Do you know vhy she stopped?"

"You mean she didn't tell you?"

"How could she? She doesn't talk." Kurt rolled his eyes at the blonde. She laughed a little. It was a bit like a twitter of a bird.

"I meant, she didn't sign it to you or nothing? Didn't write it down?"

"None of us know sign language, so we were a bit at a lose when it came to communicating with her. None of us were in the habit in carrying a piece of paper and a pencil around either. We managed the best we could." As always Jean was taking charge mostly of things and logically explaining things when they needed explaining from the mutants.

"Oh, well it's not mine to tell. I'm sorry, but she made me promise to tell anyone she hadn't told herself yet. I can tell you this though. She is fully capable of talking. She just chooses not to for reasons I cannot tell you."

"Who's Rhonda?" This was the first question Bobby had asked.

"Her legal gaurdian."

"Vhy doesn't she vant Rhonda to know vhere she is?"

"It's a bit of a story."

"It's only 1:30. We got time." Scott offered from behind his sunglasses. He was thankful for them today. He didn't want them to know how much he was concerned. Not only was she a powerful rogue mutant, but he had sort of liked the little Cat. She wasn't loud, didn't take his stuff, and didn't annoy him.

"Well, I suppose the story starts... ten years ago now I guess. I'll start with why she has a legal guardian instead of parents. Catalina's parents loved to take her to the theatre. Like real live plays and such. They almost never went to the movies together. Her parents didn't really like movies very much. They thought that they didn't provide the same experience or show the same emotion as real actors. They didn't really require much dedication since it wasn't live and they could do scenes again and again until they had one that they wanted to use."

"Wait, how do you know all this? You said you've only known Cat for five years." The interruption came from one Bobby.

"I have only known her for two years. She told me all this back when she was relatively open about herself." This was met with nods. "Anyways. Her parents had taken her to see _The Red Shoes._ One of Catalina's favorite ballets. They were going there especially for her. On the way back they were discussing this time's dancers, who was better, who was worse, who would have made a better so and so. The normal routine for them. The ballet was a little later than normal, and soon it was dark. She told me she had gotten cold. Even though it was only September she was shivering and she felt funny. I guess some part of her knew what was going to happen. They had lived in the country on a gravel road. She doesn't remember much, but all of the sudden her Mother's laughs turned to screams, her Dad was saying naughty words, and the car wasn't going how it was supposed to go. As near as I can tell something made her Dad, who was the one driving the car, loose control or something happened. They swerved on the loose gravel. I looked it up later. The car had flipped five times and then run into a tree. They were less than a mile away from their home and a neighbor saw. They called 911." Most of the girls had their hands over their mouths in astonishment now. "Her mom had been killed on impact, her father held on long enough to see his daughter awake, holding his hand, and tell her that he would love her forever and always. Even if he wasn't there she should remember that he would always love her and be there. He died not long after he told her that. She cried of course. She doesn't remember the rest of the time she spent in the hospital. She had only suffered a few broken ribs, a broken arm, a big bump on her head, and a broken heart." Tears had found their way onto Kitty's cheeks, and Jean looked close. As always Scott looked pretty emotionless behind his sunglasses but his jaw was clenched, Kurt looked striken while comforting his girlfriend, and Bobby's face was wiped of his usual smile. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you earlier that this wasn't a very happy story."

"A very happy story? That's like one of the most depressing things I've ever heard!" A weepy Kitty sniffled out at Scarlett.

"I'm sorry. Would you like me to stop now?"

"No." Scott was the only one with a voice then.

"Well, when she was all healed up for the most part she was sent to an orphanage as none of her living family would take her in. They couldn't either support having another mouth to feed, or were already too busy to give her all the attention she would need. She didn't spend much time in the orphange. Rhonda soon came and adopted her. Soon after that she met me and we've been friends every since."

"Ok, but why doesn't she want Rhonda to know where she's at?"

"She ran away from home two years ago. It had been about a year after we discovered her mutation, so she didn't run away because of that. I couldn't figure it out. Often when I first met, and she talked, she would threaten to run away but she never did. She always promised to leave me a note or tell me or let me know somehow if she ever did. Two years ago she just disappeared. No note, no nothing. Just like a ghost, or a puff of smoke she was just gone. Rhonda didn't call the police."

"Vhy not? Vhy did she vant to run away in the first place?"

"That's not a particularly cheery topic either. You ready?" She was met with nods all around. "Rhonda... is not the best guardian. No, scratch that. She's terrible. She only takes kids in for the money the government issues you. Rhonda has anger issues and take them out on whatever kid she has. I've been her neighbor for most of my life. The kids she takes in normally scream and cry while she laughs. Normally they run away sooner than Cat did. I think she stayed for me. Rhonda liked Cat espcially better than the other kids. Cat would take the beating silently, and still do chores for her. All the heavy lifting. She did everything for Rhonda. Cooked, cleaned, absolutely everything."

"Vhy?" All of them were positively horrified at this point. Only Kurt was brave enough to claim his tongue back.

"Rhonda was all Cat had. She didn't see another place for her to go. Didn't you wonder why she doesn't like people touching her? Even me. I've never hit her, but she still flinches or stiffens whenever I touch her or even hug her. Unless she's a cat. Then she has moments when she even wants to be touched, or held, or pet. I think it makes her feel more loved and reminds her of her parents. She's told me that she only remembers the whole play things, her dad's hugs, and her mother brushing her hair."

"Why would she stay because of you?" Almost undetectable anger had seeped into Bobby's voice at the thought of someone hurting Cat.

"My mother needed me there to help her with my little sister and brother. My dad left when I was little. I don't really remember him, and I don't really want to. My mom can't raise them by herself, so I help her. Cat would help us when she could. That's pretty much everything that I can tell you about Cat."

"If we guess why she doesn't talk will you tell us if we're wrong or right?" Bobby had a theory already.

"Yes."

"Is it because Rhonda preferred silence? She just learned to take the beating in silence so she just became silent all the time as a bit of a rebellion or something?"

"Partly."

"Words matter..." Jean mumbled.

"What was that?" Scarlett leaned towards the red-headed psychic.

"Just something I heard from her once. Normally she's good about keeping her thoughts locked up, but once she slipped and I heard words matter. Does she think that words are important? That they are powerful. I've read about people who think the same. She saves her words for when they're needed, or to make a point. People listen more to somebody who never talks over some one who's constantly speaking."

"And that's the other part." Suddenly they all heard a phone buzz and Scarlett pulled out a pink, sparkled phone. "I have to go. Nice meeting you." She that she rose to her feet and flounced away. The X-Men left the courtyard where they had moved to to discuss the matter of Cat soon thereafter. They were headed home so they could tell the Professor all that had happened. Silently a pair of green gold eyes watched from a tree nearby as a single tear escaped from it's prison and slipped quietly down her cheek.

**Soo? Not too sad I hope? R&R please and thank you :)**


	8. Reunions: are they good or bad?

**Disclaimer: this is just getting tedious don't you think? Obviously I don't own X-Men Evolution or Cat would be an actual person.**

It was Kurt who eventually found her a week later. They had searched for her for a few days, but knowing that she could be any black or white cat they had given up. The Professor had used cerebro to find her, but they didn't think that if he found her that she would willingly come back. If they made her come back she would just run away again. She had followed them back to the Institute the day she 'ran away' and climbed up to the roof after they were all asleep. She had spent the week up on the roof. Journeying down only at night when none of them would find her to get enough food for the next day. She was actually surprised nobody had found her yet. She wasn't really trying to hard to hide since these were the only friends she could have anymore, and she never ran very far. Actually, if she wanted to, she could walk home as a human in a day. It was when she was thinking this, laying on her back, and looking at the clouds that Kurt found her. He and Bobby and Kitty and Rogue were all playing Hide and Seek. A little childish yes, but it was fun, they couldn't think of anything better to do, and Hide and Seek with mutants was definitely more interesting. Kurt had poofed up to the roof in order to hide from Rogue. Unfortunately for all involved Kurt poofed on top of Cat.

"Vhat the… Cat!" Soon after rolling off of whatever he had landed on he discovered it was Cat and gripped her in a tight hug. She grunted her response. "Oh right, sorry. No touchy. Vhere did you go? Have you been up here the whole time? Vhy didn't ve check up here?" Cat smirked a little and nodded. "You've been up here the whole time?" He was incredulous. How could someone stay in one place for so long? How did she get food? "Do you vant to come back?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Ok, I meant do you vant to come back inside and train vith us?" She thought about this. This had mostly been what she thought about while she sat there for a week. If she went back someone knew where she was, so they could tell Rhonda, but if she went back she could have friends. Maybe even be part of an actual family… She lay back down. This was too much to decide right now. "Vhat? Don't you vant to come back?" She shook her head. "So you do." There was a nod to this. "Then vhy not come back?" She didn't respond. There was too much to say and too little ways in which she could tell him. "Vell, now I have to tell the others that you're here. I'll make sure that they don't make you come down, but they're probably going to come up here little kitten." She looked at him at that. "Vhat? You are a little kitten aren't you?" She shrugged. "Vell, you are a little kitten." Before he left he kissed the top of her head. "Don't leave again ok?" He poofed away before she could react.

"You mean she's on the roof?" He had gathered Kitty, Rogue, Bobby, Jean, and Scott.

"Da."

"Right now at this very moment?" Bobby seemed excited for the first time since she left. None of them had none her for very long at all, but it had felt as if something was missing. Her silence had been loud and now that it was gone it was too quiet.

"Da."

"Bye." Bobby ran off in the general direction of outside.

"Well, he seems happy." A familier southern drawl sounded although Bobby didn't really hear her. He didn't like not knowing where his friends were and the mansion had felt weird without her. He had kept trying to remind himself that it had been this way before and it could be this way again, but it hadn't really help anything all that much. He iced his way up to the roof and saw her laying there, looking at the clouds, and wearing his shoes.

"You know, I kind of want those shoes back." She sat up at his voice. A giant smile broke out across his face. The corners of her mouth quirked up as well. He walked calmly over to her, sat down next to her, and they both lay down to look at the clouds. "Why did you run away Cat?" He turned his chocolate eyes towards her. She returned his gaze after some careful thought. Then she mouthed one word, the barest of a whisper to help him understand what it was she was mouthing. "Rhonda? You ran away because of her? You already ran away from her. You don't need to keep running." Cat held his gaze a moment longer and then returned her gaze towards the heavens. Her companion didn't know what to make of that. "Look a bunny."

"You two are still up here?" It was Rogue. After Bobby had been up there for half an hour Cat had begun to yawn. Bobby had suggested she sleep. At first she had shook her head, but then she couldn't keep her eyes open. Quickly she had fallen asleep, but then she rolled over and was next to Bobby. Unconsciously she had curled up next to him causing him to blush. After an hour or so she had flickered between a little black cat and human Cat. When Rogue had journeyed up Cat was a feline curled up on his lap as it was now nearing night and he was watching the sunset.

"Yea, she fell asleep a while ago though."

"Why'd you stay then?" Bobby wasn't actually quite sure why. He had almost left several times, but something had stopped him. After a few minutes of careful consideration he realized why.

"It felt like if I left when I came back she would be gone." Rogue nodded thoughtfully. She hadn't been with them when Cat had run away, but Kurt and Kitty had explained what had happened and Cat's life story. She walked forward and sat next to Bobby.

"When do you think she'll wake up?"

"I'm not sure, but she is a cat so I'm thinking pretty soon."

"Good." She reached across and held a cloth full of chloroform to his face. His eyes widened in surprise, fear, and betrayal, but only for a moment before he passed out. "You make it too easy." The girl laughed, a little maniacally, and scooped up the cat from the unconscious boy's lap. As she stood up Mystique slid back into her own skin. "It's good to see you again, my child."

**Yes, yes I know. Not the most original idea making Mystique her mom but I've always wanted to give Kurt and Rogue a little sister. R&R please **


	9. Lions, Wolverines, and Storms Oh my!

**This is really just a formality. A redundant, unneccesary formality. I mean seriously, if any of us owned anything wouldn't we just have made all that we've written real instead of coming and writing it here? I mean really. Anyways, I of course, don't own anything.**

When Cat awoke she was met with cold gray walls, rope around her ankles and wrists, mittens on her hands, and the gold eyes of a very different woman. She struggled for about two seconds. If she couldn't get it now what made her think she could get it later? Espicially with the woman in the room. Besides, once she left she could just change and be on her merry way.

"I suppose you're thinking you can just change sooner or later and escape. Be my guest. You don't know where you are or how you got here. There's nothing for you to go back to, and nothing for you to run for. Besides, my daughter, this is where you truly belong." _Daughter? What the hell is she talking about?_ "Yes, I am your mother. Your birth mother. My name is Mystique and I am the one who made you the magnificent creature that you are. Do I have to teach you mutant pride or are you mutant and proud?"

"Mutant pride? I am not a mutation. I am not a human, and I am not a cat. That much is true, but I am me. If you would have me be different get the hell out of my life."

"So you talk for me?" Cat just blinked her eyes at her mother. "And I suppose that's all I'm getting." Her daughter nodded. "Well, if it's any consolation you are quite eloquent. If I untie you now will you run away?" Her only response was to stare at this woman. This woman who had undoubtedly kidnapped her. Msytique took this as a yes and began to untie her daughter. "This is your home now. You will live here with me, a few other boys, and another young woman who aren't quite human like you and me." The ropes snapped free and Cat instinctively rubbed her wrists where it had been. "Come, I will introduce you." They walked up some rather rickety looking stairs into a pig sty. It looked like wild animals had rampaged through it.

"So this is her. Pretty enough. Sort of young, but she'll do the job." An older boy talked quickly at the woman and then turned to her. He had silver hair. "I'm Quicksilver, cause I'm.." She saw a streak of color then the boy was right where he had been. "fast. Who're you?" She smirked, happy to oblige. She was feeling irritable as a human anyways. Shrinking she became a small black house cat.

"Cute, when'd we get a little kitty?" A slimy, hunchbacked boy reached down to pet her. In retaliation she grew to be a giant white lioness, and opened her maw to chomp down on his out stretched hand. She didn't get the chance however as he hopped, _did that boy really just _hop_ away from me?_, away into a different part of the house.

"That was Toad." The blue-skined woman said with obvious disdain. "Blob! Wanda! There's someone I'd like you to meet!" Cat felt some vibrations echoing through the house, getting closer and closer. She lowered her center of gravity, bared her teeth, and flattened her ears.

"Who is it My... Why the hell is there a giant lion about to tear my throat out in the house?" A girl with short black hair and a dark red cloak came down the stairs closely followed by a rather large, blond, boy.

"She's my daughter."

"Ok, is she always so hostile and.. well a cat?" Blob still hadn't found his voice yet. It wasn't like seeing a giant, dangerous cat would completly unaffect him like it wasn't Wanda or her brother or Mystique.

"No, she is not always a cat as Pietro can atest to, and as for the hostility? Well, I've only known her from right after kidnapping her."

"Hmm, I think I like her." Wanda walked over to the lioness. "You can stop growling now. Could I pet you? I've always wanted a lion." Cat, seemingly satisfied by this compliment sat down on her hind legs, put her ears back up, and replaced her lips over her teeth. Wanda simply placed a hand on her furry white head. "Hmm, I'm the Scarlet Witch. Not red or crimson!" Cat dipped her head in understanding. "Come on, I'll show you how to get to the roof."

"Wanda, not now! I have things to discuss with my daughter!"

"Too bad. Discuss them later." Wanda waved a hand dismissively and tromped upstairs with Cat, still a lion, tromping after her.

oOo

"We can't just sit here and do nothing! We just got her back!" The X-Men were massed downstairs away from the other students to discuss Cat.

"I'm sorry, we can't right now Bobby." Xavier replied calmly. "Cerebro is still being upgraded and Mystique took her so they could be anywhere right now. We have to be patient."

"I agree with Icecube here, I feel like we could be doing more than just sitting her twiddling out thumbs waiting for her to come back like she did last time. Last time she ran away. Now she's been taken. It's a whole different game Chuck!" Wolverine stood up from his chair and pounded the table.

"Logan, what would you do? We have no clues or any ideas as to where they might be." Ororo, ever the voice of reason, piped up from her own chair.

"I can track them. I've tracked Mystique before and I can do it again, besides she had to have the Ghost with her and I can track her as well. Two scents is better than none."

"Maybe so, but maybe Cat went with her of her own free will. We can't bring her back here if this is not where she wants to be. That is not our way. We do not force this onto anyone who does not want it."

"Cat didn't go vith her of her own free vill. She came back here villingly." The elf added from above. He was hanging from one of the light fixtures by his tail.

"Yea! Kurt's like right! She liked it here. She wouldn't just like go with Mystique. She had just been found again."

"I agree." Scott called from his spot, followed closely by Jean.

"I didn't know her very well, but it seems like if she was waiting out here this is where she wanted to be. Not some place with Mystique." Spike put his two cents into the conversation.

"Spike's view is logical. Why didn't she go some place different in the week that we couldn't find her? It seems to me that she does, in fact, want to stay here with us." Hank peered through his glasses at Xavier. "I think that we should let Logan track them."

"Like I need your permission." Wolverine scoffed and plunked back down into his chair.

"So we're going to do something?" Bobby grinned. He seemed to keep losing his friend and he didn't like that. Espcially not to Mystique and espically not from right under his nose.

"No, I'm going to do something. You're going to wait here and see if you can be useful for something here."

"But, she doesn't really know you. She's only fought you, and if you find her she might not come back with you, and then you'll have to tell us where she is so we can go get her because she trusts us, but by then it'll be too late and she'll be gone.. again."

"Bobby does have a point Logan." He smiled triumphantly over at his teacher.

"You're not seriously suggesting the Icecube come with me Chuck, are you?"

"Not at all." Immediately Bobby was deflated. His one chance to go find Cat was gone. His one chance to prove to everyone that he could in fact do something. "I'm suggesting that you take Jean with you. She knows you doesn't she Jean?"

"Not as well as she knows Bobby, Kitty, Kurt, or Rogue, but she does know my face. We went out for pizza and shopping when we met Scarlet."

"Yes, I think you, Scott, Logan, and Kurt should go and find our little Cat. If you are all so stubborn on insisting that she needs and wants to be rescued and that you are the ones to do it." The four immediately got up and left the room. Logan saying something about the scents getting old. Soon after they left the other students left, leaving Hank, Ororo, and Xavier.

"They seem to like Cat quite a bit. Don't they?" Ororo commented.

"Yes, they do. I don't remember them being quite this attached to other new students. They were only together for a couple days and yet they acted as if their life-long friend was dead when she disappeared for that week." Hank took off his glasses and polished them.

"Why do you suppose that is though? There must be some reason they have taken such a shine to her. She's certainly not very friendly or charismatic. In fact she can be down right hostile."

"Maybe that's why they like her so much." They men gave Storm a quizzical look. "Well, the mystery. They've never met anyone so hostile, and closed that they weren't fighting. She's also silent by choice. Have you ever met anyone like that? Besides I believe Bobby's developed a bit of a crush on her."

"Yes, I've noticed, but he's only known her a few days. How can he already have a crush on her?" Charles wheeled himself a little closer to his friends.

"Infatuations, or crushes, don't often take that long to develop. Most of the time they are based solely on looks and not on personality or any sort of logic whatsoever. It's not so uncommon at their age Xavier."

"Hmm, did anybody else feel that sort of calmness the last day that Cat was actually among us?" This from Ororo.

"Yes I did. Do you think that came from Cat? It was most peculiar don't you think? I just felt sort of calm and quiet. As if talking wasn't really necessary. As if it wasn't really all that important. That we could go through life just fine without it, and the more I felt it the more I liked the silence. Then I heard people speaking again, and I seemed to remember why talking is so important. Why we would disolve into chaos without it." Hank had replaced his glasses onto his nose so that he peered through them at his colleages and friends.

"I felt the same. How do you think she could do that? Or is her silence just making us more aware of the silence that we could have? If she did do it why can she? Is her mutation not just limited to shape shifting?"

"No, I don't think it is." Charles looked up at them. "I think that essentially she has the spirit of an animal also inside of her. She seemed to have the behavioral characteristics of a cat as well as the body at will. She could be more in tune to others emotions and therefore could have a calming affect on people whether she knows it or not. Haven't you noticed a cat just be itself can be a calming prescence?" Storm and Beast looked down and considered this. What he had said made a bit of sense. Her attitude towards people, her quiet eyes that seemed to know just what you were thinking, and her gracefulness. She was a peculiar person, but.. an ordinary cat.

**So we learned a bit more about Cat's mutation huh. Interesting no? As always R&R please and thank you. I would like to thank Anony Mouse101 for your constant reviews. I wuvvers you!**


	10. In which Mystique has too many plans

**Disclaimer: I own positively nothing.**

"And they fell for it?"

"Every word." She laughed mischievously while twirling her hair around a finger.

"Good. You have proven yourself quite useful Scarlett. You may go."

"What about my money Mystique? I need that money." The blonde smacked her gum noisily.

"It's at your house. By the way, what exactly did you tell them?"

"That her guardian Rhonda abused her, which she did of course just not nearly as much and as terribly as I said. That she didn't have any friends. And that her parents died in a car crash because of a ballet that she wanted to go to. Oh, and that Rhonda had had other children, which obviously she didn't. I mean, the person I made her into… Somebody would have noticed, but they totally didn't think twice about it. You were right. Those X-Men are waay too trusting."

"Go then."

"K, Bye." Scarlett flounced off down the alley twirling her hair and smacking her gum all the way.

oOo

"So you know what you must do my child?" Kat looked blankly at this woman. She hadn't even been her a day, and what she was asking her? If it was true and this strange looking woman was her mother than she did have the right to ask this, but it was so strange. Spy? On her friends? Be an insider and give her information on them? The only people who had displayed even a tiny shred of kindness towards her? Slowly the girl nodded. "Good, they should be coming for you soon. You must make it seem as though you escaped." Kat nodded again. "Goodbye Kat. Stay strong. I will come to that mansion," she spoke the word mansion the way one would normally say hell hole, "and you will tell them that you wish to stay with me. Once you are back again you will tell us all that you found out about them and we will use it to destroy them." Kat nodded once more and then was pushed out the back door roughly.

"Is she gone?" Quicksilver suddenly appeared behind Mystique.

"Thankfully." Mystique said with distain. She may have been her biological daughter, but Mystique was not her mother.

"Good, she was annoying. Why did we have to act nice again?"

"We had to gain her trust. Don't you know anything?" She angrily stalked upstairs to her room to start planning.

oOo

"Her scent leads to here." Wolverine stepped off his bike and removed his helmet in front of the Brotherhood's house. If you could even call it a house. The place was as messy as the sky was blue.

"I knew ze Brotherhood had taken her!" Kurt poofed up next to Logan triumphantly.

"We don't know for sure that they took her Kurt. She may just have come here." Scott, ever logical, every pessimistic, interjected.

"Vhatever. Let's get her."

"I don't think we have to go get her elf." Wolverine rumbled out, nodding his head towards a rather disoriented looking Kat.

"Kat!" Kurt immediately poofed next to him. She took one look at his familiar face and smiled just the tiniest bit at him. He wrapped her in a big, blue, fuzzy elf hug. She stiffened, but didn't push him away. "Vant to go home?" She hesitated. Home? She didn't know what was home anymore. There was home with Rhonda, there was home with Kurt, Bobby, Kitty, Logan, Scott, Jean, and the Professor, and there was home that was directly behind her. Where was home? Slowly she nodded at Kurt knowing that Mystique was watching in a window above, knowing that that was what Mystique expected her to do. She jumped in the jeep that Scott and Kurt had taken down into town. The question plagued her the whole way back. Where was home? What was home? Was home a who? Was home a place? Where did she truly belong? Where did she want to stay? Did home smell like chocolate chip cookies? …. Home?

**Sorry that it's soooo short, but this part's given me a run for my money. This was rewritten so many different times. Anywayz… sorry for not mentioning you earlier La Licorne. I have no idea where this would be without you. Thank you sooo much.**


	11. Of Brownies and Homes

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or anything.. cept Kat. She's aaallll mine mwahahahahahahaha**

"Cat! C'mere!" It had been a few weeks since she had been kidnapped by her 'mother.' Life had returned to normal at the mansion. Her days were spent either learning from Charles, training with Wolverine, or doing something with Bobby, Kurt, Kitty, Rogue, or Jean. Sometimes it was a combination of her friends. Most of the time though it was her and Bobby sitting by her tree, or in her case _on_ the tree. She turned and entered the kitchen from which Kitty had called to her. "We're making brownies. Wanna help?" She titled her head to the side as if to say _Brownies?_

"Don'tcha know what brownies are?"

"She probably just doesn't know that she knows them." When Rogue and Kitty were met with a slight shake of the head.

"Well, help us. We could use all the help we can get." Cat walked into the kitchen. "We have to make the stupid brownies for Kurt. It's his birthday." Cat raised her eyebrows. "Not today no, but tomorrow. We're trying to surprise him with an early birthday present." Cat nodded and smiled a little. The older boy was friendly, loud, obnoxious, told bad jokes, was never serious, and was altogether annoying. Naturally he had grown on her. Not romantically of course, that spot seemed to be filled by Kitty, but more like the brother she had never had.

"Just start mixing that bowl over there." Kitty pointed at a bowl with a wooden spoon sticking out of it.

oOo

Half an hour later the kitchen looked like a disaster area and three girls stood in the aftermath. One of them holding a plate of perfectly delicious looking brownies. Rogue had chocolate batter swiped across her nose and cheek, on her left sleeve, and the cuff of her right pant leg. Kitty had flour spinkled over her hair and.. well everywhere. Cat had a little of both plus a little whipped cream on her right cheek.

"What happened here?" Bobby had walked past and heard the girls laughing. There was whipped cream sprayed everywhere, flour covered nearly everything, and some batter was on the ceiling. Spilled milk was puddled in the corner, and an egg was oozing yolk on the counter.

"We made brownies." Kitty giggled out.

"Cool, can I have one?"

"No! They're for Kurt." Rogue insisted in her usual somber way, but he could tell she was keeping back a smile.

"I can't have just one?" Cat shook her head vehemently, a small smile gracing her lips.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Vhere who is?"

"Dang it Kurt! I was going to use your location as ransom!"

"For vhat?"

"Happy Birthday!" Kitty had shuffled her way across the room holding the brownies behind her back.

"For those." Bobby grumbled as Kurt grinned and gave Kitty a little kiss.

"My birthday is tomorrow!"

"I know, we wanted to surprise you."

"You couldn't surprise me tomorrow?"

"You'd be expecting it tomorrow, and I didn't do it alone you know. Rogue and Cat helped." Rogue kicked the ground and Kat looked down.

"Whatever. I'm going to go take a shower." Rogue pushed past her friends and left. "Happy Birthday Kurt." She called from down the hall.

"And you too Cat?" She shrugged. He poofed across the room and gave her a hug. She bristled at first, but then looped her arms loosely around his shoulders. After a moment she backed up and walked out poking Bobby on her way and gesturing with her head for him to follow her.

"She hugged me back."

"I noticed." Kitty walked back to her boyfriend pouting the whole way.

"Vhy are you pouting?"

"I'm feeling… left out."

"Left out?" By now she was sidled up close to him.

"Mhm, she got a hug. Where's my hug?" He laughed at her, and grabbed her hips to pull her even closer to him. Putting his forehead against hers she put her arms on his shoulders where Kat's had been just a moment before.

"Here's your hug Kätzchen. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers again, but this one held passion and love and longing. She kissed him back with the same passion. One of her hands knotted itself in his hair and the other moved down to press against his lower back. He pulled away and chucked at her a little bit. Before she had time to be offended he kissed her again and then transported them to his room, brownies forgotten.

oOo

"You have batter on her face." Bobby observed once they had situated themselves at their tree. She tilted her face. "Right here." He reached forward and wiped away the batter underneath her eye with his thumb. After a second's debate he left his hand there, cradling her face. She deliberated inside her head, _Should I kill him now? Am I really angry? Is this really so terrible? _Her body decided for her. Involuntarily she sighed and leaned just a little bit into his head and closed her eyes. He blinked in surprise he thought that she had rip his hand off, or tear his throat out, or something but not… this. They sat there like that for a moment… then another. Finally she opened her eyes and met his brown ones with her own green ones. _This is it. She's going to kill me now._ He closed his eyes and braced for the impact. He felt her face slip away from his hand. _Here it comes. 3…2…1…What?_ He opened his eyes and found Cat, human form, leaning against him. She had moved his arm over her shoulders and was slightly curled against/on top of him. He looked down at his little Cat and she looked up at him. He smiled at her and she returned it. "Go to sleep." She nodded and turned around again. Soon enough her breathing evened out and he knew she was fast asleep.

oOo

"Bobby! Cat! Wake up! Supper." Rogue called from the doorway of the mansion. Bobby woke with a jolt and saw Cat next to him still in the same position she had been in when he had fallen asleep. He judged her. Sleepily she opened her eyes.

"Food." She nodded, stretched, and yawned gigantically. Smacking her jaws together he reminded him of a lion. He smiled and ruffled her hair. She glared at him. "C'mon. They'll eat it all." He held out his hand to help her up. It was something he always did, but she never took his hand. Today was no different.

oOo

"Goodnight Cat." Bobby had walked with her to her room. She didn't understand why but she wasn't protesting. She nodded. Hesitating he didn't walk away just yet. _Oh, what the hell_. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss. Only on the cheek but it was still risky considering it was Cat even considering what had happened earlier. She blinked in surprise but he walked away before she could react anymore. _Damn it Bobby._ She walked angrily into her room.

"Hello, my daughter." Mystique was already waiting in her room. Cat stiffened. She didn't want to do this anymore. Well, she hadn't wanted to do it in the first place but now even less so. "Are you ready to come home?"

"Mystique! Kitty, get the others! Cat, get away from her!" Cat turned slowly and saw the top of Kitty's ponytail disappear through the floorboards. _Crap._

"Rogue, how delightful to see you." Kurt, Jean, Scott, Bobby, and Kitty all poofed into the room next to Rogue. Cat still hadn't moved.

"Cat! C'mon." Bobby beckoned her over and Wolverine showed up in the doorway panting. She turned slowly back to look at her mother.

"Cat?" Kitty sounded hurt. Cat couldn't bring herself to look at anybody anymore.

"Come my daughter, let's go home."

"Daughter?" A collective audience repeated.

"Yes she's my daughter. Didn't you notice the similarity in out mutations?"

"Except she's not blue and furry." That was Kurt sounding just a little angry.

"She's a traitor is what she is!" Logan declared angrily from his spot in the doorway.

"No!" Oh god… that was Bobby. He sounded so betrayed… He felt so betrayed. It was rippling off of him swallowing her whole. She registered shock from most of her other friends, but also hurt and anger… "She's not a traitor." She could hear it in his voice. He didn't quite believe it fully. "She's not. She can't be." Disbelief joined his betrayal now. She couldn't take it anymore.

"She is my daughter and she belongs with me now that she knows your precious little mansion front and back." Bobby thought about all the times she had been exploring the mansion with him. They had been everywhere multiple times. He had shown her everything. Even the sublevels that only the X-Men went into.

"You don't want me and I'm your daughter." Rogue? Rogue was her daughter too?

"Or me." Kurt?

"Why do you want her so much more than us?" A lot of anger was rolling off of Rogue now, but she could tell. It wasn't directed towards her but towards Mystique.

"She has not been tainted by you filthy X-Men yet."

"Tainted?"

"That's vhat you think of us? Tainted?"

"Yes, now come Cat. We have stayed here too long." Mystique grabbed her wrist and began pulling her along. _Rogue and Kurt are my brother and sister?_

"Cat! I know you're not a traitor. You don't have to go with her." It was Jean. She hadn't been getting anything from Jean until now. Now, though, she felt hope and it broke over her like a wave of warmness and light. She stopped herself.

"Cat! Don't be insolent! Come." Cat opened her eyes and looked at her mother. Looked though, probably wasn't the best word to describe that. Glare would be closer, or perhaps glower. At any rate her eyes were filled with anger and hatred. Jean was showing her everything that Mystique had done. All the times she had hurt her friends. All the lies she had told. All the evil she had done. She hadn't even told her that she had a brother and a sister. Maybe she had an even bigger family. Who knew? Cat yanked her wrist out of Mystique's grasp. "Cat!" Anger and frustration cloaked her. "Come home." Mystique tried the nice approach but it's hard to do that when your daughter knows all of your emotions. Home. Cat had wondered about that for weeks. What was home? She knew what it was now. It was destroying the kitchen making brownies with her sister and her brother's girlfriend when the brownies were for said brother. Home was falling asleep in the sunshine with a tree to her back and Bobby at her side.

"This is home." She spoke with as much power, strength, confidence, and volume as she could.

"Cat. You don't know what you're saying." Mystique tried to get her spy back. She was so close. In response she shifted into a white tiger and let loose a roar. Mystique backed up. She may have been an excellent fighter but she couldn't take them all on. "I may be your mother but you aren't my daughter anymore." Cat roared a second time as if to say _get out before I eat you._ She went to the already open window, changed into a raven and flew away into the darkness. Cat walked forward farther into the room and became a human again. Slowly she turned to face her friends. There were too many emotions floating around the room. Too many people feeling too many things, and she couldn't tell what anyone was feeling. Kurt was the first to move. He walked forward and wrapped his little sister in a hug. She blinked in surprise and hugged him back. Kitty followed suit quickly. Jean was next, and then Rogue walked over.

"Welcome home little sis." Cat looked out of her little huddle to look at her. She noticed Scott and Wolverine had left and so had Bobby. She carefully extricated herself from the little huddle.

"Bobby?"

"He looked like he was heading outside." Rogue answered her. Cat followed him. She found him at their tree. With a start she realized that she thought of it as _their_ tree. Not her's.

"Cat." She looked at him. "You're still not going to talk?" She blinked at him. "Seriously? That's really starting to annoy me. You can talk! You just did! You practically shouted! Why do you insist on being quiet? I mean rea-" She was kissing him. She was _kissing _him. She pulled away. "You're evil. You know that?" He leaned down and kissed her again. _Yeah, _she thought, _this is home._

**Done! HAHAHAHAHAHA. So much procrastination and frustration. What do you think of the ending huh? R&R**


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